Robbery victims turn tables, take assailants’ getaway car and gun, Virginia cops say

A convicted robber will spend the next 22 years in prison for his role in a botched home invasion that turned chaotic when the victims fought back, according to prosecutors in Virginia.

The comedy of errors included one victim stealing the culprits’ getaway car and another shooting at them with a gun they mistakenly left behind, the Office of the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney reported in a Feb. 10 news release.

A jury found James Davis Kennedy, 41, guilty of robbing two men at gunpoint during a July 17, 2023 home invasion in Norfolk, the release says. His accomplice remains unidentified, officials said.

“Kennedy’s co-conspirator was wearing a hard hat and pretending to be utility worker, and both men were armed with guns. ... When the first victim answered the door, the co-conspirator asked about a natural gas leak,” prosecutors said.

“The victim allowed him inside. The co-conspirator then asked the victim to open his back door, and when the victim did, Mr. Kennedy emerged with his face covered and pointed a gun at the victim.”

The armed men searched the home and found the second victim asleep in a bedroom. Both victims were forced to lie on the kitchen floor, officials said.

Kennedy and his partner then proceeded to pocket “thousands in cash, a handgun, and other valuables” belonging to the victims, officials said.

A dog is credited with helping to thwart the robbery.

“The first victim had a dog that was barking at the intruders and (he) managed to convince the intruders to let him take the dog out to the back to calm it. Once outside, the victim ran around to the front of the house, saw the car that the intruders had left running on the street, got into the car, and drove around the corner to call police,” officials said.

“After the first victim took their car, both men ran away from the house. In the process, one of them left a gun in the victims’ living room. The second victim picked up the gun and ran out of the house behind the intruders. Mr. Kennedy and his co-conspirator saw the second victim and began shooting at him, and the victim returned fire.”

No one was shot during the exchange, officials said.

Investigators were able to identify Kennedy with information found in the getaway car, including a cellphone, officials said.

He was arrested in August 2023 and found guilty last October of “armed robbery, conspiring to commit armed robbery, using a firearm in the commission of robbery, and two counts of abduction. Mr. Kennedy later pleaded guilty to the drug possession charge,” officials said.

A judge sentenced him to 22 years and six months in prison, after deciding to suspend “another 32 years and six months on the conditions that Mr. Kennedy complete 10 years of uniform good behavior and an indeterminate period of supervised probation following his release.”

Norfolk is about a 100-mile drive southeast from Richmond.

This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 8:57 AM with the headline "Robbery victims turn tables, take assailants’ getaway car and gun, Virginia cops say."